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Jaja Bashengezi - African Café

Jean “Jaja” Bashengezi grew up with 10 brothers and sisters in the eastern Congolese town of Bukavu on the peaceful shores of Lake Kivu. Music was everpresent and Jaja developed into an accomplished guitarist by the time he graduated college in 1994. Unfortunately, that was the same time the Rwanda genocide began to spill over into the Congo and Bashengezi soon became a refugee in Uganda. Music proved to be his savior, and he quickly became a rising star on the Kampala music scene.

After recording his first solo album in 2002, Bashengezi began working with the Watoto Children’s Choir, which was made up of children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. This led to international tours as a solo artist and back-up guitarist for Vieux Farka Touré and Fatoumata Diawara. Bashengezi is now based in the U.S. He credits his experience as a refugee with his ability to understand and connect with people of different backgrounds and traditions.

On the song “Ndule ,” the title track of Bashengezi’s 2017 album, he sings, “Listen to the voices / Voices of wisdom / Spoken by the elders / Songs you hear, songs you dance to / Music creates moments of joy / Music heals the sick / When it hits, you feel no pain / That’s why we celebrate it / Listen to the beautiful voice / Come, let us celebrate Africa.”

Cultural Spotlight

Africa

The African continent not only gave birth to the human species, it’s also the place where coffee originated. Without Africa, we wouldn’t exist; without coffee, many of us would go through the day having a harder time existing. Add to this the fact that Africa is now home to some of the world’s largest tea-producing countries, and its importance in supporting café culture around the world becomes even more apparent.

While cafés are not as prevalent in Africa as they are in Europe or the U.S., the act of taking a few minutes out of a busy day to recharge and enjoy a steaming brew is as important in Africa as it is everywhere else in the world. Legend has it that coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia by a goatherd named Kaldi. In Ethiopia, an elaborate coffee ceremony is one of the defining aspects of local culture. Green coffee beans are roasted over an open flame, then ground with a mortar and pestle and boiled in a special pot called a jebena. The resulting infusion is poured into small cups and served with a side of popcorn. In Senegal, workers begin their day with café touba, a filtered coffee blended with pepper powder and cloves. People in South Africa love to add the creamy liqueur Amarula to their after-dinner coffee.

If coffee isn’t your cup of tea, there’s always…well…tea! Tea is even more popular in Africa than coffee, and Kenya is one of the world’s top tea producers. In Kenya, no day is complete without a hot chai masala, an Indian influenced blend of black tea, spices and milk that reflects East Africa’s historical role in the global spice trade. The South African rooibos (“red bush” in Afrikaans) is the source of an herbal tea that is known throughout the world thanks to its rich flavor and ruby color. Wherever you travel in North Africa, any social gathering will include a glass of strong, sweet mint tea.

Walk into any café around the world and the influence of Africa is there, be it the Kenya AA coffee being ground up for high-end lattes or the Tanzanian luponde teas that are ubiquitous offerings.

Celebrated children’s record label Putumayo Kids introduces children to other cultures through its best selling CD collections that entertain, educate and inspire curiosity about the world. The songs are carefully selected and feature child-friendly lyrics and rhythms by exceptional international artists.